NBA: D’Antoni: Harden “best offensive player I’ve ever seen”

James Harden is the clear favourite for the MVP-Award this season and represents with his Houston Rockets the best result of the league (57-14). After his next gala against the Portland Trail Blazers, coach Mike D’Antoni praised the team.

Harden scored 42 points and 7 assists against the Blazers, who last clinched 13 wins in a row, and led the Rockets to a 115-111 win in a foreign venue in crunch time, “He is the best offensive player I have ever seen,” D’Antoni said afterwards.

“How he can fit, how he sees the court, fouls, his layups, floaters, maybe a praise, maybe a pass into the corner – he has so many weapons,” D’Antoni continued. It’s just impossible to defend him.”

Indeed, Portland was once again a good defensive team in this task. Harden leads the league this season in points (31.0) and is third in the assists behind Russell Westbrook and LeBron James with 8.7. Last season Harden had led the Assists league with an average of 11.2.

As in the 2014/15 season, he finished second in the MVP election. This season, however, he is regarded as the absolute top favourite for the award.